Cellular 911 Calls

Cellular 911 Calls

The number of 911 Cellular phone calls has increased significantly over the past decade. Responding to this shift in public usage, wireless 911 systems are being installed in public safety agencies throughout the country.

There are two phases to implementation: Phase one links the caller's cell phone to the cellular tower that received the call and forwards the tower location to dispatch which gives dispatchers a general geographic location for the call. Phase two requires wireless carriers to provide the cell phones approximate location through global positioning system satellites, which refine the caller's location with latitude and longitude.

The City of Fairlawn's dispatch center is phases II cellular compliant with the installation of the necessary equipment in December, 2006.